Saturday, June 17, 2006

Al Gore and Sam Adams

Today, it came through on the heavy conundrum. We went to see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Word from those who had already seen it was either 1) it is super depressing -- you need coffee and/or alcohol, or 2) it is a call to action -- you need coffee and/or alcohol.

A future post will discuss the brilliant fright flick. Meanwhile, be aware that in that tiny pseudo-downtown Dedham, the theatre has you covered.

First, in case you live in some 'burb, this is the same cinema build in 1927 that features the Museum of Bad Art adjacent to its basement men's room. Even if you don't feel like a flick, this is the one and only, thank God, such gallery. See it and buy the knickknacks.

Today, we pushed against the blue-hair tide. The other feature was the sappy and cutesy Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. That can warm your heart until you throw up, but the 70 somethings adore it.

We brought the 15 and 12-year-olds, got our popcorn, and asked the kids if they wanted a drink. Then we noticed that they have adult drinks there now, like middling wines and Sam Adams lager.

We'll have two Sams, if you please.

Carte Notice: They serve about five beers and four wines. None is remarkable, but it's a better choice than at many low-end restaurants. You can also sit at cafe tables in the theatre lobby and save a sip and chat.

How very civilized. No one's about to abuse alcohol at $5 a pop or pile them on in the movie. However, particularly for something so demanding, how very, very pleasant to sip and soak it up.

Just when you thought Boston was determined to stay provincial, the little surprises can remind you that it is in fact the little things that make us more -- or less -- civilized.